United News of Bangladesh

For the first time, the Fisheries Department in Naria, Shariatpur, has started using drone technology to monitor hilsa fish during the breeding season. The drones fly over rivers and provide 24-hour surveillance to prevent illegal hilsa fishing, a step seen as a major innovation in fish protection. The 22-day hilsa protection operation began on October 4 and involves the Fisheries Department, River Police, Coast Guard, RAB and other law enforcement agencies. At Padma River’s Sureshwar point, drones continuously monitor river traffic and if any suspicious boat or fisherman is spotted, a speedboat team is immediately sent to inspect. Naria Upazila Fisheries Officer Md. Zakir Hossain Mridha said, “This is the first time we are using drones. The technology will help ensure sustainable hilsa production and protect food security for future generations.” Hilsa export to India begins; 1,200mt approved for Durga Puja Authorities stated that hilsa fishing, selling, transport, and storage are completely banned nationwide from October 4 to October 25. During this period, administration and law enforcement remain on high alert to protect breeding hilsa.  

Three members of the river police were injured when extortionists attacked them with spears on the Meghna River in Meghna Upazila, Cumilla. The Chalivanga River Police arrested two young men in connection with the incident. The arrestees were identified as Md. Rana (27), son of Abdul Barek, senior joint convener of Chalivanga Union BNP and brother of Hasanat, joint leader of Meghna Upazila Chhatra Dal; and Sajjad Hossain (18), son of Ruf Mia from Nolchar village. According to police, a local resident called the police, reporting that extortionists were demanding money and assaulting people on the river. When the police arrived, the attackers threw spears at them and injured ASI Maksud, Constable Sohag, and Saidur Rahman. A local resident said that extortionists often demand 5,000–10,000 taka from boats passing through the area and physically abuse those who refuse. BNP to upgrade Cumilla into division if interim govt fails: Mosharraf Chalivanga River Police In-Charge Md. Azmgir Hossain said, “We opened 21 rounds of fire when the attackers threw spears at us. Three officers were injured, but we managed to chase and arrest two of the suspects. Legal action is underway, and we will continue to secure the river.” Earlier, on Monday evening, the River Police arrested Akhtar Hossain (45), cousin of top extortionist Mamun, from Saraswati Char in Titash Upazila during another extortion incident on the Kathalia River.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Special Metropolitan Magistrate Court disposed of 257 cases through summary trials in September, as part of its ongoing efforts to curb crime and address traffic-related offences in the capital. According to DMP Headquarters, a total of 3,931 cases were recorded during the month, leading to the arrest of 3,881 people. Besides, warrants or summonses were issued against 3,145 accused, and fines amounting to Tk 3,52,900 were imposed. The cases involved offences such as drug-related crimes, mobile phone snatching, theft, eve-teasing, creating illegal obstructions on roads, and various traffic violations. DMP continues to conduct regular summary trial operations to ensure swift justice for victims and maintain law and order in the city. The force remains committed to upholding public safety and strengthening crime prevention measures across Dhaka.

Police have arrested 14 people for their suspected involvement in various criminal activities from different parts of Mohammadpur area. They were arrested during a daylong special anti-crime drive conducted by Mohammadpur thana police in several crime-prone spots on Monday, said Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the DMP Talebur Rahman on Tuesday afternoon. The arrestees were Khushi alias Khuki (30), Amit (25), Sagar (30), Ismail Hossain Malek (40), Mohammad Ali (32), Awal Bepari (42), Mishal (18), Faisal (18), Raihan (22), Imran (26), Mamun (25), Rabbi (25), Naim Molla (23), and Manjil Sharif Apu (23). During the operation, police recovered four auto-rickshaw batteries, 100 small packets of heroin, 30 grams of marijuana, and 18 pieces of Yaba pills from their possession. Police said that several of them are listed accused in regular cases and are involved in different criminal offenses. The arrestees have been sent to court following legal procedures.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against two officials of Benapole Customs House after their detention with Tk 2.76 lakh in bribe during a drive on Monday. Deputy Director and investigation officer Al Amjn filed the case on Tuesday against Benapole Customs House revenue officer Shamima Akter and her associate Hasibur Rahman at the ACC’s Integrated District Office in Jashore. A special ACC team led by Deputy Director Md Salauddin of the Jashore District Office conducted the drive on Monday following allegations that some customs officials were taking bribes in exchange for lenient assessments of imported goods. The team detained Hasibur Rahman, locally known as an “NGO member, at the main gate of the customs house with Tk 2.76 lakh in cash. During interrogation, Hasibur reportedly confessed that the money was meant as a bribe for revenue officer Shamima Akter. The ACC team later took Hasibur to Shamima’s fourth-floor office in the customs building. In the presence of Customs Commissioner Khaled Mohammad Abu Hossain, Shamima admitted that the money was intended for her and apologised for the incident, according to the ACC. Earlier that evening, the ACC team faced obstruction when their vehicle was blocked for nearly 30 minutes at the Benapole Customs House premises while attempting conduct the drive. The ACC has launched an  investigation into both the bribery allegations and the obstruction faced by its officers during the drive.

Police have arrested Aklima Khatun Tuli, president of Khulna's Rupsha upazila Jubo Mohila League, from her home in Singher Char, Noihati union. She also serves as vice-president of the district Jubo Mohila League. She was taken into custody for allegedly trying to secretly organize activities in support of the Awami League, which is currently prohibited, and for involvement in online political campaigns. Despite the ban on Awami League activities, she reportedly remained active online and attempted to hold secret meetings and reorganize the party. She was arrested in a political case filed at Rupsha Police Station on February 23. 8 AL leaders, activists arrested in Dhaka Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Rupsha Police Station, confirmed the arrest. He said, “Tuli has been sent to jail through the court following legal procedures.”  

A special metropolitan magistrate court of Dhaka sentenced seven people to different jail terms in two separate cases over road occupation in Lalbagh and theft at Mitford Hospital on Monday. Quoting Lalbagh Police Station sources, Deputy Commissioner (DC-Media) of DMP Talebur Rahman said that six persons were sentenced to five days’ rigorous imprisonment each under Section 92 of the Road Transport Act, 2018, for selling vegetables, fish and poultry on roads in Lalbagh by setting up makeshift shops, which were causing prolonged public suffering. Police said the convicts had been selling vegetables, fish and poultry occupying parts of the roads for 8–10 years, ignoring repeated warnings and fines. They were arrested on Sunday night during a regular drive by Lalbagh police. Lalbagh Division’s Special Metropolitan Magistrate (Summary Trial Court) Arifur Rahman delivered the verdict on Monday, sentencing each to five days’ rigorous imprisonment following their confessions. In a separate case filed by Kotwali Police Station, the same court sentenced a woman to three months’ rigorous imprisonment for stealing Tk 4,500 from a female patient’s bag at Mitford Hospital around 11am Monday - meaning the legal procedure was completed on the same day the crime took place. Kotwali police arrested the woman immediately after the incident and produced her before the Lalbagh Summary Trial Court, where she was convicted. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Special Metropolitan Magistrate Court, as part of an initiative to speed up the disposal of cases filed over traffic violations and other less serious crimes in the capital, disposed of 5,558 cases between March and August 2025 utilising the summary trial process. DMP said it will continue such drives to maintain public safety and discipline.

A Dhaka court dealing with food frauds on Monday fined Tk 4 lakh to Agora Limited, a prominent retail chain, for selling butter that a government laboratory test confirmed was produced from raw materials other than milk. The court of judge Kaisunnahar Surma also fined the firm, neofarmers, Tk 8 lakh for producing the butter marketed as “Gawa Ghee.” The butter comes in a jar with a special mention on its label, “Naturally Grown, Honestly Packed.” The case that resulted in the fines named two accused—Muallem A Chowdhury of Agora and Tamzid Siddiq Spondon of neofarmers, a startup that promised to replace adulterated food. “Can you imagine producing butter without milk? They did it. There was no milk used in producing the butter,” said Nargis Akter, a food inspector at Dhaka North City Corporation, who filed the case on August 18. Collected on July 27 from the Benaroshi Polli branch in Mirpur, the sample of the butter was certified as substandard by the Dhaka South City Corporation food analyst three days later. The butter failed the standard test on four of the six parameters. One of the parameters required butter to contain 99.70 per cent milk fat. But the butter sold by Agora had no milk fat at all. The saponification test requires butter to have a minimum reading of 218. But the butter tested scored 198. The presence of iodine was found to be 92.07, almost three times the maximum permitted level of 35. The peroxide level in per mg of oxygen was found to be 3.12, almost four times the maximum permitted level of 0.8. Low saponification levels could be a strong indication of adulteration, for it implies the presence of vegetable fat, which has a longer carbon chain than milk fat, according to food experts. Excessive milk fat consumption could lead to obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and inflammation in the body. High levels of iodine, on the other hand, could signal the presence of other oils, food experts said, adding that the chemical element could be used to soften butter. High peroxide levels particularly indicate the product’s low quality and rancidity, food experts said, adding that consumption of food with high peroxide levels could lead to atherosclerosis, a disease that concerns the build-up of fat in and on the artery walls, blocking blood flow. Nargis said that Agora tried to hide the identity of the producer of the butter by refusing to give its details sought officially in a letter. Agora Limited is a joint venture between Swedish firm Brummer & Partners and Bangladeshi company Rahimafrooz.

The Army Chief has not made any statement about giving indemnity to anyone accused of enforced disappearances, murder, or other crimes against humanity, said a statement of the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) on Monday. Some dishonest and malicious groups especially individuals living abroad are once again twisting his words and spreading misleading posts on social media, it said. The purpose of this false campaign is to create division between the patriotic army and the people of Bangladesh, ISPR added. The statement clarified that on September 30, 2025, a research report was presented at an event aimed at finding ways to improve the army’s support to the civil administration. The event discussed how the army operates under current laws and the challenges it faces. During the discussion, the issue of giving ‘magistracy powers’ to army personnel in certain situations was raised. At one point, the topic of indemnity under Section 132 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) came up. The Army Chief spoke about how this law, which protects army personnel on duty from legal action, sometimes conflicts with the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 (Amended 2024). Under the CrPc, army members have the authority to disperse illegal gatherings while helping the civil administration. Therefore, it is important to ensure legal protection for those carrying out duties. The army has already informed the relevant government authorities about this matter, said the statement. ISPR suggested people to stay alert and not be misled by such false information.    

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Special Metropolitan Magistrate Court, as part of an initiative to speed up the disposal of cases filed over traffic violations and other less serious crimes in the capital, disposed of 5,558 cases between March and August 2025 utilising the summary trial process. Some 11,323 people were arrested through 259 special operations in relation to these cases, said DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Talebur Rahman on Sunday. Of those arrested, 2,771 were served prison sentences through summary trials, and fined over Tk 35 lakh in aggregate. According to DMP Headquarters, the harshest sentence handed down was four years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Tk 10,000, with an additional 14 days of imprisonment in default of payment. The lightest sentence was a single day of non-compulsory imprisonment. The disposed cases included a wide range of crimes such as drug possession, phone snatching, petty theft, eve-teasing, obstruction of public roads, and various traffic-related offences. Officials said the summary trial process allows for swift judicial action, helping citizens to access justice more quickly. The initiative is part of DMP’s broader efforts to maintain law and order and ensure public safety in Dhaka. “The Dhaka Metropolitan Police remains committed to controlling crime and protecting citizens through proactive enforcement and expedited judicial processes,” Talebur Rahman added.